PhantomBuster is a tool that allows one to create code-free automations of tasks on the web or social networks. It can also be set to perform data extractions from any source on the internet, directly to a CRM or database.
$30
per month
Toad Data Point
Score 8.4 out of 10
N/A
Toad Data Point is a cross-platform, self-service, data-integration tool that simplifies data access, preparation and provisioning. It provides data connectivity and desktop data integration, and with the Workbook interface for business users, it provides simple-to-use visual query building and workflow automation.
PhantomBuster is not a business intelligence tool, and should not be used with that expectation. It's made to scrape data, making it easy for those less tech-savy or scraping data from searches. It's up to the user to determine what you get out of this tool. We used two templates mostly, the Linkedin search scraper, and the Google Maps scraper. We are sponsors of several business organizations, so we would use the sales NAVIGATOR filter to pull people who are also part of those groups as their members. The Google Maps template as I explained previously was fundamental to push our Google Business Profile consulting. As an example, if you're looking to scrape contact data from a chamber of commerce directory, this is the perfect tool.
Appropriate for general querying and some DBA work. It's the universal least-offensive solution for most environments - not best of breed, but not subject to unusual/extensive requirements. It just works. On the other hand, some functionality (e.g. data import/export, snippets) are perfunctory and minimal and seem to be either difficult or impossible to automate. If you need to streamline those operations, you'll be forced to rely on third-party solutions that mostly work on top of (instead of with) TOAD.
The workflow is a relatively new feature. Quest is adding additional functionality and the workflows are useful now.
Would be nice if the 'Automate' feature was a bit easier to use.
Would be nice if some of the SQL Editor features in the traditional interface worked better in the new workflow interface (although, these are being fixed with each release).
First of all, PhantomBuster comes at a very low price point for us. We're more than happy to keep paying it just based on that. Price is not the only motivator alone though. PhantomBuster makes pulling the information you need very easy. Myself and my team require little support to run this tool and we also appreciate efficiency.
I find Toad Data Point easy to use for both the novice and the experienced business analyst. If all you desire is to access data and create spreadsheets...this is a snap. Toad Data Point actually has cool data analysis features built into it. The newer workflow interface makes automating steps a snap
I don't really have the opportunity to test another Data Extraction tool like Phantombuster. When I started my job they already have bought this tool so I learned how to use it and honestly I do not have any need to change it. I think Phantombuster is the best for this
It is the least common denominator - not particularly optimized for our environment or workflows.
Hangs or slowdowns add anywhere from 5% - 7% for projects utilizing large/complicated data setts. (This could be due to other IT-imposed constraints and not entirely due to TOAD.)
Trying to perform some operations requires reading documentation and experimenting in order to figure out the TOAD-specific approaches and commands.
It just works (when we understand it). Updates don't break things and things don't suddenly start behaving differently. Best of all, we don't mysteriously lose functionality.